When winter sets in, there’s no excuse to let yourself go! Luckily, the season is made for sharing meals with friends. Stuck for ideas? Here are 4 cosy winter sharing dish recipes to embrace the season with pleasure… and a little lightness!
Recipe no1 winter sharing dish: Scallop Crumble
A first winter meal idea that celebrates the best seasonal produce: scallops, leeks and mushrooms. This recipe, convivial yet refined, is sure to delight your guests. To make it you will need (serves 4):
- 12 scallops
- 200 g fresh button mushrooms
- 1 large leek
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 30 g ground almonds
- 30 g wholemeal flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 100 g softened butter
- 1 tsp mustard
- Salt and pepper
Here’s how to prepare it:
- in a bowl, mix together the butter, mustard and parsley, then season with salt and pepper;
- add the flour and ground almonds and work with your fingertips until you get a crumble dough;
- preheat your oven to 180o;
- wash the mushrooms and leek and slice them thinly;
- sauté them in a pan with a little olive oil and the crushed garlic until they have released their moisture, then set aside;
- in the same pan with the remaining oil, sear the scallops for 1 minute on each side;
- time to assemble – divide the vegetables, scallops and crumble dough between 4 ramekins;
- bake for 10 minutes and, once the topping is golden, serve!
Recipe no2: Minestrone
Who said soup wasn’t a sharing dish? Winter is cold, and nothing beats a warming bowl of soup enjoyed with friends. To make this delicious Italian minestrone, you will need (serves 4):
- 100 g green beans
- 1 carrot
- 1 courgette
- 1 tomato
- 1 leek
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 potatoes
- 50 g wholemeal pasta shells
- 1 x 100 g tin of white beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 litres vegetable stock
- Pesto
The preparation is straightforward:
- prepare all your fresh vegetables : wash, peel and cut them into small pieces;
- in a large saucepan, heat the oil and gently sweat the onion, garlic and leek;
- add the carrot, potatoes, tomato and courgette;
- cover with 2 litres of vegetable stock and simmer over a low heat for 40 minutes;
- 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the green beans, pasta and rinsed and drained white beans;
- before serving, stir in pesto to taste and serve.
Recipe no3: Fish Curry
Another meal idea – convivial and exotic – perfect for sharing with friends! The spices and vibrant colours bring warmth to the coldest winter evenings and are sure to impress. To make this recipe, you will need (serves 4):
- 300 g salmon
- 300 g sea bream (or other white fish)
- A handful of bay scallops
- 300 g tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 lemon
- 1 Golden apple
- 1 green pepper
- 3 dl fish stock
- ¼ l fat-free single cream
- Butter
- Curry powder
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
Here’s how to prepare it:
- defrost the bay scallops and drain them;
- cut the fish fillets into large chunks and remove any bones;
- peel and deseed the tomatoes, cut them into pieces and cook in a saucepan with salt, pepper, crushed garlic and the bouquet garni until you have a thick sauce;
- peel and core the apple, cut into cubes, drizzle with lemon juice and sauté in a pan with a little butter;
- wash the pepper, slice it into strips and sauté in a pan;
- next, prepare the sauce – reduce the fish stock by half, add the cream and reduce again by half, then whisk in 60 g of cold butter to bind the sauce;
- season the sauce with curry powder, then add the tomato, apple and pepper;
- sauté the fish chunks and bay scallops in a pan with a little olive oil;
- once cooked and golden, arrange them on plates, spoon over the sauce generously and finish with a little chopped coriander.
Recipe no4: Poultry Parmentier
Here’s a great classic with a twist: the hachis Parmentier. Because when it comes to winter sharing dishes, a hearty gratin always comes to mind. This poultry version is lighter than the original and is also a brilliant way to use up leftover chicken. Delicious and zero waste. To make it, you will need (serves 4):
- 1 kg potatoes
- 800 g turkey or chicken thighs
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 20 g breadcrumbs
- 1 chicken stock cube
- Olive oil
- Butter and milk for the mash
To make the recipe:
- wash the leek and chop it roughly, peel the carrots and cut into pieces, peel one onion and stud it with the cloves;
- place the meat in a casserole dish, add the leek, carrots and onion, along with the stock cube;
- cover with water and cook over a medium heat for around 40 minutes, skimming regularly;
- meanwhile, prepare a mash with the potatoes, making sure it is not too runny;
- once the poultry is cooked, remove it from the stock (which you will keep) and pull the meat away from the bones and skin;
- shred the meat into a frying pan, add the second onion (finely chopped) and the carrots from the stock;
- sauté everything in a little olive oil for a few minutes, then add around 15 cl of stock;
- 5 minutes later, add 1 chopped garlic clove and the parsley, and adjust the seasoning;
- preheat your oven to 190o;
- prepare your gratin dish – butter it and rub with garlic, spread a first layer of mash, then the chicken mixture, another layer of mash, a ladle of chicken stock and finally, the breadcrumbs;
- bake for 40 minutes, keeping an eye on the Parmentier until it is perfectly golden.